BUT OF COURSE the trips continue and of COURSE he is not paying for them himself

Link

Sorry you dont have the skill set needed to qualify for a job like that...some of us do.

I do furnished housing for a living and I've seen more than my share of government waste over the years. Like guys from the Army staying in short term housing at $5k - $6k per month for 4, 5 years running on the taxpayer dime. They should just move them to the area, but instead they often just keep paying for them to have "temp" housing here.

Which is great for my company and all, but just seems extremely inefficient.

I want to make a point here that I am NOT saying the gov. isnt wasteful, or that panetta is a saint. All I am saying is that it isnt unusual for comped flights and living expenses to be included in a job offer. Its actually fairly common, I believe.

It certainly isn't unusual. My last company offered to fly my wife out to me or vice versa a couple times on weekends when they had me working for them in another state for a while.

In and of itself I see nothing wrong with those kinds of compensation either. But there is a limit, and I see that limit get left in the dust way too often. It's one thing to do that for someone working away from home for a few months... it's another if they're doing it for years, IMHO.

Panetta is using MILITARY planes for UNSCHEDULED flights so he can go home every week and, if you had bothered to read the article, he is reimbursing the government for a FRACTION of what those flight are costing. He is doing ESSENTIALLY THE SAME THING THIS GENERAL IS ACCUSED OF.

Your comped flights are paid for by the airline or someone else somewhere along the line. You are not flying military planes at taxpayer expense.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Monday that he regrets that his frequent flights home to California on a military jet have cost taxpayers more than $800,000 since July. He gave no indication, however, that he would end the weekend commutes.

"For 40 years that I've been in this town, I've gone home because my wife and family are there and because, frankly, I think it's healthy to get out of Washington periodically just to get your mind straight and your perspective straight," said Panetta, who maintains a residence with his wife, Sylvia, on their walnut farm in Monterey, Calif.

Thank you for your service, seriously, but pay us back. Here is an idea, MOVE TO DC instead of flying home every weekend on the public tit.

If you had bothered to read the article. Panetta's military flights at the time the article was published had already cost over $800,000 dollars. Panetta is flying UNSCHEDULED military flights to California every week.His flights cost more than first class commercial flights.

He is doing the same /b> thing this general got busted for and has vowed to keep doing it.

Panetta is required to fly in military aircraft by government regulation. He is barred from commercial travel due to his position. Since the trip is unofficial travel he must reimburse the government the cost of a commercial ticket. Which he does. See DoD Directive 4500.56, "DoD Policy on the Use of Government Aircraft and Air Travel," April 14, 2009

Congress has the power to change it but I think it is a bad idea. An office like that requires the secretary to be immediately reached by the president and vice versa. If we are attacked how will the public respond to, "well, I was in coach and couldn't use my cell phone."

Bhruic:Delawheredad: Yet Leon Panetta, his boss, flies home to California every week, and sometimes twice a week, first class each time spending millions of unnecessary dollars and it doesn't even raise a bit of protest.

Just to check, you're claiming it costs "millions of dollars" to fly first class to California?

He's not flying first class commercial.He's flying in a military aircraft, scheduled just for him.But he pays (the government) the rate for a commercial round trip flight.

Panetta is using MILITARY planes for UNSCHEDULED flights so he can go home every week and, if you had bothered to read the article, he is reimbursing the government for a FRACTION of what those flight are costing. He is doing ESSENTIALLY THE SAME THING THIS GENERAL IS ACCUSED OF.

Your comped flights are paid for by the airline or someone else somewhere along the line. You are not flying military planes at taxpayer expense.

The thing is, because he is Secretary of Defense, he can't just fly commericial because his job requires him to be reachable 24/7 in case there's like a war or something. So as SECDEF he has to fly on a government plane.

This isn't so much compesation, he's getting a service (transportation home) but he's paying for it. The reason that he's flying on a government plane is because the goverment requires him to be reachable all the time.

Again, you are flying commercial. Your flights might be complementary to you but they are being paid for by someone or some entity. You are not flying military planes to your job locations. You are not diverting military planes to fly your ass home every weekend. Congratulations on your nice job.Personally i could care less if the Secretary flies home every week but he can take commercial airlines just like you and everyone else does.

Panetta is demoting a general for doing the very same thing he is doing every week.

Would you not agree that since this general is being demoted because he misappropriated plane flights and wasted government money that his boss ought to either pay for his flights or fly commercial or perhaps resign honorably?Why should Panetta keep his job for doing EXACTLY what one of his generals is doing?

BUT OF COURSE the trips continue and of COURSE he is not paying for them himself

Link

Sorry you dont have the skill set needed to qualify for a job like that...some of us do.

I do furnished housing for a living and I've seen more than my share of government waste over the years. Like guys from the Army staying in short term housing at $5k - $6k per month for 4, 5 years running on the taxpayer dime. They should just move them to the area, but instead they often just keep paying for them to have "temp" housing here.

Which is great for my company and all, but just seems extremely inefficient.

If all the perqs and all the freebies and all the "well, nobody will care"s and all the pork and shenanigans and entitlement welfare that people in power enjoy were halted tomorrow, then there wouldn't BE a f*cking deficit.

"For 40 years that I've been in this town, I've gone home because my wife and family are there and because, frankly, I think it's healthy to get out of Washington periodically just to get your mind straight and your perspective straight,"

So apparently what we'really learning this week is that the upper echelons of our military industrial complex are inundated with some folks who act like they're on a reality show.I've met quite a few admirals and generals through my work, and they usually seem like pretty awesome dudes... there's a few I've met that I'd hate to think were actually like this. But IIRC we've been promoting a lot more folks up to those ranks than we used to...

Ever notice how "sly / crafty / badass" criminals and thugs always seen to wind up with their thumb up their ass both professionally and socially or better, dating some guy named bubba? Stealing is a really sh*tty, job, kids. Seriously. Like, Wal Mart is better.